[crazy4cats]

Oh boy, you have taken on quite a commitment! But, it sounds like you already know what you are in for. The funny thing about your suggestion of Taste of the Wild is that it is also manufactured by Diamond. I am not as anti-Diamond as many on this site because I live in the NW and have not been affected by the recalls. Most people that feed this food have great results. However, if you are avoiding Diamond, TotW is not the food for you!
Go to the review side of this site and print off the list of the best puppy foods and take it to the pet store, feed store or boutique with you and see what they have and fits in your budget. I am a believer of adding variety to a pups diet. I like to add canned food, eggs and/or sardines to my dog’s meals to help bump up the nutrition of the kibble.
Please keep us informed of your new pup’s progress. Congrats!

[Jennifer C]

Would like some advice for help on treatment for chronic yeast / bacteria skin condition for our black lab. We adopted her from animal control as was a stray. She had severe seborrhea (?) – very itchy skin with a lot of flaking and also greasy looking fur. The flaking has certainly cleared up some, but she continues to have itchy skin and gets sores. We do give her baths with vet recommended dog shampoo for treatment of yeast/bacteria and she is better, but am wondering if there is a food that may help with this as well. We currently give her Purina One Lamb/Rice. Would a grain free food help? Any other recommendations? Budget is certainly a concern.

[Bobby dog]

Awesome news!!!! 😉 Maybe it is a routine thing. Scrounging for scraps is a really good sign in my book. My female will not eat after anyone, she is much too special to have to do that; or so she thinks. lol I always have to wash her dish after someone else eats from it or she won’t eat from it. You could put a filet mignon in her dish, if it has one of the boys slobber in it, she will not touch it.

And I am really jealous now, you have a TJ’s and now a TSC coming soon, wow.

I haven’t bought the 4Health canned cat food in a while. My hyper-t kitty is the only one who will eat it and the shelves were empty last time I went to TSC. It has decent ingredients, but the price has gone up a few pennies since I last fed it, still a major bargain in my book. It used to be 49 cents, I remember because it always frustrated me that all my kitties didn’t like it. At only 3 cents more a can with no artificial stuff included like Friskies, what a great budget friendly food it would be for my rotation. But, you know how the budget goes with finicky kitties, never how you want it to.

[DogFoodie]

Thanks, Dori!

I have looked at Vital Essential, but not recently, so I’ll look again. I’m actually using their tripe treats right now, because as you said, it’s just tripe and nothing else! I’ve all but given up on raw for Sam. He likes the tripe I order from MPC, but other than that, he often won’t touch it. He’s big too, so it’s expensive to feed him raw or freeze dried. Raw and freeze dried are hard on my budget!

I’m always open to suggestions!

Thanks again. : )

[aquariangt]

Naturella gave you plenty of information to go off of, so I would review some of the things she linked. I’m a sheltie person too 🙂

As far as Budget friendly-I’ll second Marie’s Earthborn-I don’t really follow a budget either but I do use that in rotation. I don’t like Nutro-almost every dog food is AAFCO certified (im a bit confused, do you just mean AAFCO compliant?) so I wouldn’t use that as a base or selling point.

A few other options that come to mind: Victor if you can find it as Marie said-it’s not really around me and it’s pricy online, but haven’t tried it myself-Simply Nourish-I use the source blends from time to time are a few other options. Dr Tims people seem to like and I haven’t tried. Whole Earth Farms is budget friendly but made by Merrick, so buy it after doing your research on them. I wouldn’t personally but plenty of people like them

[InkedMarie]

Welcome! I too have a sheltie; you can see Gemma in my picture. Regarding NutroMax or any food, go to the review section (click reviews in the red line above) and read the reviews.

I don’t feed a budget friendly food but if I did, I’d look at Dr Tims, Victor, Earthborn and maybe Whole a Earth Farms.

[Naturella]

Sheltielove, a few of us here are college students, myself and my husband included. We also shop on a super tight budget for our dog, but so far we have managed to keep our food costs at $6.07/month for 4-5-star food. That is pretty low, although I am not counting Bruno’s (the dog’s) additives in the price. He gets an egg, a raw meaty bone (usually a chicken back or pork/beef neck bone piece), 1/2 can of sardines, and a tablespoon of coconut oil every other day and 1 tablespoon of yoghurt every other day. And The Honest Kitchen raw dehydrated food as a topper (1 tsp/meal, aside from when he gets coconut oil or yoghurt). The price of THK is calculated in his food cost though. Right now we are stocked on kibble and THK till the end of August, 2015.

Now, how did we do that?
Part 1 – lucked out! Our local Petland had a special during the months of November and December 2013 and was giving away FREE small bags of Holistic Health Extension. I stocked up on those with 4 bags.
Part 2 – Petland also sends me a coupon for $10 off of $25+ purchase – a great way to get bigger bags for less. I got 3 14-lb bags for about $20 each (with tax and all).
Part 3 – Luck again – there is an awesome little pet specialty store with amazing sales on top notch brands when they’re a month away from expiring, plus they give away free samples. Got me some of those too.
Part 4 – I facebooked a bunch of companies to ask for samples of their foods – some sent just coupons, some samples and treats, and some – whole small bags of food. Two bags of food came this way.
Part 5 – Planned couponing – for more info and to speak to this site’s real coupon guru Akari_32, see this thread – /forums/topic/coupons/
Part 6 – Scouting for deals and sales online. Websites, such as petflow.com and chewy.com will have flash sales at which you can get food for $1/lb – I got 19lbs of food this way, all in 4- or 5-lb bags of great, various flavors and brands.

Part 7 – MOST IMPORTANTLY – all of the above methods will be kind of on the hard side if you do not rotate protein sources (flavors) AND brands of food. More on diet rotation and why it’s important – /frequently-asked-questions/diet-rotation-for-dogs/ But this way you get to take advantage of all or most deals and sales versus being stuck to a specific brand/flavor.

Also, some of the more affordable overall brands are: Earthborn Holistic, Victor Select and Victor Grain Free, in some places NutriSource (not around Kennesaw, GA though – here it is soooo expensive!), Taste of the Wild (a Diamond product), Canidae (in my area it’s not too pricy), and possibly Dr. Tim’s.

As for Diamond – they manufacture several brands. They had a huge recall in 2012 and handled it poorly. Hence the issue of many with them.

As for Nutro, I cannot speak, although I have fed their small breed puppy food – one bag, first food we bought for our doggie before we discovered this site.

Hope this helps! Welcome, and keep the questions coming! 🙂

[sheltielove]

I am a college student looking for a good food on a budget. The dog I recently adopted is on Blue Buffalo Freedom Grain Free Small Bites mixed with a grain free wet food. He doesn’t have any grain allergies so I am interested in switching him over to a good food that is more college student budget friendly!

When reading some reviews, I saw some negative feedback on the brands Diamond and Nutro. I know that Nutro is AAFCO certified, so I was wondering what problem there was with this brand? My parent’s shelties have been on Nutro Max their whole lives and have wonderful coats, etc. I just want to make sure I am the most informed as possible before making a switch!

[crazy4cats]

Bdog-
I have not talked to my sis too much recently. She has in-laws in town. But I will be checking in on my furry niece and nephew tomorrow as they are going on a road trip. Sometimes I think she is afraid to call me cuz she has not followed through with making the changes. Lol! I hope that isn’t the case. I do think she started adding some yogurt and eggs to some of their meals. Baby steps are good for me. I remember how over whelming and it was when I realized how poorly I was previously feeding my pets. Thanks for asking!
Reb P-
I try to stick to the budget friendly brands suggested on this site for dogs to feed to my cats as well. I like to feed them Authority, Chicken Soup, and Nutro Max canned foods and Wellness Core dry to my four feline furries. Unfortunately, my kitties love Fancy Feast and some Friskies as well!

[InkedMarie]

If they will order online, Dr Tim’s is budget friendly and comes in larger bags

[Cyndi]

Cameron, by looking at the ingredient list I posted above, if I were you, I would INSIST that your sister does not feed that food to your dog, or even her dogs for that matter. Take a look at some of the 1 star foods over on the review side and find one that has “wheat middlings” and read what that is. Also read what “meat and bone meal” is. Trust me, you do not want to feed those things to your pet if you want it to live a long and healthy life, which I’m sure you do.

Labs gave you some great suggestions for budget friendly foods. I would switch as soon as possible to a better food.

[LabsRawesome]

Hi Cameron, I definitely wouldn’t use Good Friends dog food. I didn’t see the ingredients on the site, but with a price of $11.99 for 40lbs, there’s no way it can be a good food. Maybe you could talk your sister into buying something higher quality? I don’t know what her budget is, but if she could spend a little more (maybe you could throw some in) she could get a lot better food. Here’s the site I found for Good Friends- http://www.ruralking.com/pet-supplies/pet-food/dog-dry-food/good-friends-dog-food-kennel-kruncher-40-lb-182666-40.html There are lots of good dog foods that won’t break the bank. I have great luck with Victor. I pay just under $40 for 30lbs of grain free. Their grain inclusive formulas are even cheaper. You can check them out here. http://www.midamericapetfood.com/victordogfood/dogfood.html They have a store locator for stores in your area. There are lots of other budget friendly foods too. Rachael Ray Zero Grain, Pure Balance, and 4health, are good quality too. What stores do you have near you? Do you have Tractor Supply, Costco, Walmart, Petco, Petsmart?

[Jenny Rellick]

I am very concerned about the calories from treats. I budget an average of 50 calories in treats per day for my dog, Leo, a 50 pound Australian Cattle Dog. If I had a smaller dog, I would be even more restrictive. If the treat had equal nutrition to his food, I could simply reduce my dog’s meal calories on days with high treat calories, but I have not found a treat that is an Editor’s Choice dog food substitute. I classify treats as empty calories, even though some may have some nutritional value.

Another consideration is whether the treat serves the functions of a treat. I use treats for 5 purposes:
1. Drop that and chew on this–I use a cow leg marrow bone or an elk antler for this treat because Leo can express his nerves, annoyance, or stir-craziness with it for hours. He will drop the electrical plug, frozen food container, or plastic bag for these treats.
2. The potty treat. I give Leo a tiny 3-calorie treat for behaving and going potty in the right place in a reasonable time. He gets 6 per day usually.
3. The dental treat recommended by veterinary dentists. These are large, high calorie. and very expensive. I only give him 2 per week, which is less than the recommended amount, because of the calories. He won’t let me brush his teeth.
4. The cute dog treat. A treat for when I give in to his eyes begging or when he is being very good. This is different from the potty treat because it is not as automatic–I make him obey commands to get it– and it has to be more valuable to to Leo than the potty treat. These must be 5 calories or less.
5. Lastly, Leo needs a treat he would do ANYTH ING to get. In an emergency, I can use it to get Leo to come back if he runs out the door (after figuring out that it is not 100% latched and opening it himself!) In Leo’s opinion, the dental treat is the treat of the gods. He will run to me, faster than a bullet for it.

When it comes to the elk antler and cow bone, I am concerned that it is from a safe source and is stored and processed safely. He does so much work on them that he probably burns more calories than he consumes, so I am not worried about the calories in that case. My dog’s food is grain-free, but because the treats are regarded as empty calories in Leo’s diet and are given in small amount’s, I allow them to contain grains. If I were to use a treat as a food equivalent, I would need it to be grain free because Leo has food intolerances.
I hope this list of attributes helps the treat committee in their mission. I think most dog parents would agree with many of these criteria.

[Bobby dog]

If budget is a concern, there are also often coupons offered for both Iams wet and dry foods on coupons.com.

http://www.coupons.com/coupons/Pet-Care-Coupons-102/?pid=13374&nid=10&zid=lg03

[Mom2Cavs]

One more thing. If they belong to Costco they also have some foods that a lot of people feed. Note that they’re made by Diamond, though, so that may be a consideration. Another thing I thought of is that if they have a Tractor Supply near by they have their own brand called 4Health that is budget friendly. Some of the formulas are made by Diamond, but not all. Remember, too, that feed type stores may carry some foods that are way better than Pedigree so they should be checked out, as well.

[Mom2Cavs]

First off, I feel your pain…..some of my kids have pets, but won’t let them live inside! They also live in the country. Again, they shouldn’t have them but they DO. The only thing in their defense is that they feed high quality food to them. Anyway, here are some of my suggestions:

Petco: Merrick has a line called Whole Earth Farms that is a nice budget food. That may be the only suggestion I have for Petco.

Petsmart: Petsmart has their own brand Simply Nourish that isn’t a bad price. They also have another brand called Authority and some people use their grain free, it’s also not a bad price.

Walmart: Walmart has their brand called Pure Balance that is a good deal and not bad ingredients. They also carry Rachel Ray’s Zero Grain that’s not too, too bad in price and ingredients.

If they’re willing to order online, then there’s a food called Victor that is great and is budget friendly. I have ordered mine from Sportdogfood.com. They do ship to certain states so I’d check that out, too.

One more thing….if you are a member of the Editor’s Choice forums you can check out the budget friendly listed foods there and see if they are available to you.

Good luck! I’m also sure others will post that are more knowledgeable than me.

[crazy4cats]

Hi Kim E-
I have been feeding Victor grain free kibble with toppers to my two guys with great success. It is very small kibble and it is also budget friendly. They have a dealer locater on their site. Check it out!

[Hound Dog Mom]

Hi Paul B –

Thanks for the suggestion, unfortunately BARF brand frozen raw definitely wouldn’t qualify as a budget-friendly option.

[Melissaandcrew]

Nothing wrong with coupons and stretching the budget.

[jakes mom]

OK thanks everybody, it sounded interesting, with the custom option and all so thought I’d throw it out to you. Out of my budget, anyway.

[must.love.dogs.]

Hi! New to the forum and site. Sorry if this has already been addressed. We have an 8 month old Dogue de Bordeaux and 6 year old German Shepherd. The pup is already well over 100lbs, and the GSD is full grown at 130lbs. Opinions on the best, healthy food for the best price and is purchasing online a better route when cutting costs? Currently, they are eating Holistic Select – Large Breed Puppy and Large Breed Adult. Both love each others foods and will not keep to one, so I was debating All Life Stages by Canidae. All of you know mastiffs and larger GSDs eat HUGE amounts. We do not want to sacrifice their health when making budget adjustments. Any opinions and guidance is much appreciated. I just want the best for our boys while being economical! Thank you.

[arwyru24]

Bobby’s Mom- That is so funny about Bobby successfully hamming it up. My sensitive tummy cat Aaron, is really really good at the pathetic Oliver Twist routine. He is kind of a nervous nelly, and is shy (he doesn’t come out for the most part if there are any visitors) and that only adds to the effect. If I happen to be home all day he will run to his food dish area meowing every time I stand up or walk from one place to another. He really loves to eat. Rudi my parents standard puppy is such a chow hound that we had to get slow feed bowls for him to slow him down a bit, and they work really well. Fortunately he doesn’t really beg. Thank you so much for the link to that list, I’ve never seen this page before, so I am really excited to go through it!

Its a good thing rotational diets are encouraged because I am always changing up my cats diets and trying out new foods with them. C4C I hear ya on the budget issue, expense is one of the reasons I hadn’t tried it yet. I did the math though, and I have been buying Nature’s Variety, and just to get 24 cans of the Chicken is about $46 but then I really like to feed a protein source that doesn’t have chicken in it, and isn’t fish, turkey is OK but they get a lot of turkey too. Duck foods are usually more expensive but Nature’s Variety is outrageous at almost $30 for a case of 12 5.5oz cans, so when I saw this, and saw that it doesn’t have Carraggeean, chicken, or fish in for under $40 for 24 5.5oz cans I decided to go for it. I am currently feeding 2 cats and 0 dogs so its easier to try out pricier foods then if I was feeding more animals. If I had even 1 more cat there is no way I could do it. I will let you guys know how it goes, and I am going to do a little research on Petcurean (would have been smart to do before ordering, I know)

[crazy4cats]

Hey Bdog! Long time no hear! Hee Hee, my pets are good actors too. Especially, the cats, going in and out between the legs and looking up pitifully and sweetly meowing. I periodically get texts asking, “Are the cats attempting to trick me?” And it’s usually, “yes they are”, I’ve already fed them.

Sharon- I’ve not fed the cats the Go! brand, but it looks good! I did receive numerous samples of Go! and Now! kibble a few months back when our feed store was having a vendor show. The food both looked and smelled good and fresh. Both the cats and dogs liked it very much. But, have not bought any of it due to budget. Let us know how it goes. I also have been very happy with the Chicken Soup canned food. I ordered a case from Amazon as it seems like it is getting harder to find. Plus, I think it was cheaper anyway.

I bought my kitties a drinking fountain a few days ago as my big chubby white male cat has crystals showing up in his urine. I hope they will actually use it! 😉

[Sarah Y]

Wow….I’m wondering if Dr. Tim’s will still make the editor’s choice budget friendly list. The price jumped $5.50 for the grain free Kinesis food and it went up $3.50 for the all stages kinesis food. I paid $24.99 for the 15 lb all stage kinesis bag and now it’s $28.49 and I paid $29.99 for the 15 lb grain free bag. That price is now $35.49.

I guess that is still a pretty good price. I just started the grain free food…I bought one bag when I went to order it again and saw the price jump.

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Sarah Y.

[Holly C]

Hooray! I’d definitely go with Taste of the Wild (the fish one, probably for her coat). I think Chicken Soup for the Soul dog food is a good choice too. When I have budget issues, I always buy it. It’s the best bang for my buck, but I prefer ToTW when I can buy it. I also like Earthborn Holistic. Wellness and Castor and Pollux are great foods, but really pricey.

Stay away from Blue Buffalo (too much for what it really is, and it always gets my dog sick!), and the Rachel Ray food. I have tried both before, and it made my dog itch like crazy.

If I were you, I’d go for a smaller bag of ToTW. A 15lb bag of TOTW lasts my 55lb dog about 2 weeks (he eats 300 grams a day), so don’t buy big dog food bags. It might spoil and you’ll lose more money than you’d save.

Good job with helping this dog!

• This reply was modified 11 years, 7 months ago by Holly C.

[LabsRawesome]

Liz, Here’s my list of 4 & 5 star budget friendly foods. Costco’s Kirkland Signature Nature’s Domain Turkey and Pea Stew $19.99 case of 24 cans. Tractor Supply’s 4health .99 cents per can. Walmart’s Pure Balance grain inclusive $1.00 And Pure Balance 95% meat cans $1.25 per can. All cans are 13oz or more. For kibble I recommend Victor grain free. The kibbles are tiny. And if you can buy it local, it’s a steal at under $40 for 30lbs. It comes in smaller bags as well. If you contact the company, they will send you free samples. Most stores have free samples, as well. http://www.victordogfood.com/

[DogFoodie]

What about The Honest Kitchen’s new base mix Kindly, to which, you add your own fresh meat? THK actually has six grain free recipes now. I’ve tried Farmina and liked it ~ I found it to be budget friendly as well. Nature’s Logic isn’t grain free as it contains the pseudo grain, millet; but, it’s a great food.

If you haven’t already, you could take a look at Susan Thixton’s site. There are several companies that have signed her “Pledge.” “The Pledge” is a manufacturer’s statement of quality and origin of ingredients. I cannot say for certain (without going through each brand on the list) that all of those who have signed The Pledge are China Free; however, there is a specific column on the document where the manufacturer must indicate whether or not China is the country of origin for each ingredient. There aren’t a lot of foods on the list. There aren’t many kibbles. Some of the foods are frozen, raw diets that can only be shipped to certain locations, etc.; but, it’s a place to start and if nothing else, it’s interesting.

This link is to The Pledge, specifically: http://associationfortruthinpetfood.com/the-pledge/

Here’s another link to Susan’s regular site: http://truthaboutpetfood.com/

[crazy4cats]

Hi Debra-
This thread is supposed to be for suggesting budget friendly dog foods for the Editor’s Choice list. Since you are on this forum, I am assuming that you have access to that list as well. Have you checked it out? My dog’s do really well on grain free Victor. You can order through Amazon or Sport Dog if it is not sold in your area. Good luck!

[Lilmonster]

Unfortunately, I don’t have the space or budget for a grinder right now, so I have to stick with buying pre-ground. Trying to figure out how to use bone-in grinds with Dr. Becker’s recipes because it’s so much more affordable than boneless grinds. I guess a more simplified version of my question would be, if I use MPC’s bone-in grinds for the meat staple, add Dr. Becker’s veggie mix and her vitamins & minerals supplements, would that be balanced?

[Bobby dog]

Hey guys
It’s a very, very, very rainy day here, Bobby is not happy.

Akari:
Glad you’re back!! I will post cartridge info later when I can get to my saved info for it. 🙂

Love the bowls and the pics too!!! Alec looks happy to have someone to bother.

C4c:
So jealous of your TJ’s. I have to drive so far to get to one, 🙁 but I will be going by one in the fall as you know so we can compare notes about shopping there! TJ’s is on Dr. Pierson’s list (and my Vet’s list too). I looked at reviews on YouTube and various other sites. I couldn’t find ingredient or analysis info anywhere on TJ’s website. I remember it has rice and fish in some or all recipes. It reminded me of a CSFCLS or BB quality. I am definitely going to try some out. Most reviews I read commented that it was decent quality and budget friendly to add to a rotation.

FYI for all you cat lovers, you know how I love a good PDF download. On Little Big Cat Dr. Hofve’s updated book “What Cats Should Eat” is on sale for $4.97, regularly $8.99 until 8/15. Her approved list of cat food is included which was just updated last month. The list even includes some dry, although as you know she discourages feeding dry food. Also on the approved list are commercial raw (dehydrated, freeze dried, frozen etc), foods that need supplements, treats, toppers, meal supplements, foods considered but not approved, foods that were approved and why they are no longer approved.

I haven’t had a chance to read it, just downloaded it yesterday, but the list I was happy with. I can comment that some of the foods she lists are not an option for me because of the manufacturers, but nevertheless I am glad I purchased the book because there are plently of foods listed. Some chapter topics are dry diets, wet diets, nutrition related diseases, alternative diets, and making your cat’s food at home; it’s 62 pages. Here’s the link to the bookstore on her website if you’re interested: http://www.littlebigcat.com/bookstore/

[Nancy C]

Will add that Kinesis comes in GF and G inclusive. The golden is eating the G inclusive now. But last bag was GF. I rotate. I used to do TOW for both dogs and dropped it due to Diamond being scary. Fromm has been good for them too. Golden loves The Salmon veggie meal. Dr. Tims is on the DFA Budget List and is five star. If you go to Dr Tim’s website you can read about this food. Dr. Tim will email you if you have questions. He has carefully mixed the formulations (as expl on the website) and there have been NO recalls. The plant where it is made qualifies in accord to the European requirements (which is good bec they are more stringent than the USA.) Suggest you read about Dr. Tim. I think he cares a lot and has been thoughtful about his foods– or else he’s fooled me. Good luck.

[Bobby dog]

Tindaisy:
You are welcome!

His name really fits him, thanks.

Sorry about the long winded explanation about my avoidance of Diamond when you already were aware; I should have just asked. lol

I am not sure about Missouri, but I think there is a facility there. The South Carolina facility was involved with most if not all of the recalls. That is definitely where the Diamond food sold in my region comes from unfortunately.

I am not sure what kind of dog Bobby is. He came from a shelter in Tennessee. At the time the pets only had three days to be adopted because they were at full capacity. The story goes he was dumped off prior to the shelter opening and waiting by the door when employees arrived for the day. He was too young to be separated from his mom and they were able to find a foster family to take care of him until he was adopted. He was a tiny little guy when I got him. I was looking for a dog that would be the size of a short legged JRT at maturity. They felt he was a terrier mix and wouldn’t weigh more than 20 lbs at maturity. He was full of worms and fleas when I got him. When I finally got rid of the worms he grew like a weed. He is now a little over 40 lbs. lol So much for my small dog. He might be some sort of a cattle dog mix. He has a coat and coloration of a short haired german pointer, has ears that stand up and are a little too big for his head, and his tail is a little short for his body type. He is obsessed with birds and points every now and then. He also likes to herd chickens and cats. Every so often I see pictures of puppies or dogs that look very similar to him and they are either a cattle dog breed or a mixture of one. Funny thing is my friend recently took her son to visit a college in Tennessee and she said every dog she saw looked like Bobby. They even had a picture of a dog that looked very much like him in their brochure. So who knows what he is, but he definitely is a lot of fun!

I forgot about one other budget friendly canned food, sorry C4c (it’s one of her fav’s along with others on DFA). It is by far the most budget friendly of the five star canned foods, Costco’s Nature’s Domain Turkey & Pea Grain Free. I don’t have a Costco membership so I always forget about it. You purchase it by the case and the price might vary a little depending on location, it’s $20.79 for 24 13.2 oz cans. I have a membership to BJ’s and buy their Earth’s Pride canned food for Bobby. It isn’t as budget friendly as the others, $8.99/6 pack, but perfect for my rotation.

That’s ashamed to feel pressured to buy something in a store you frequent. It would also be frustrating if the person selling the food did not understand each of the needs you must address when feeding your pets.

I recently finished a bag of Nutrisource chicken & rice which Bobby loved and did well on. I have the GF Lamb to feed after I finish the kibble I am feeding now. I also plan on trying the cat food kibble you are feeding. I like the company and they must be doing well because my pet store chain is now fully stocked with Nutrisource, Pure Vita, and their Organics line too. Thank goodness they never try to pressure me into buying food. I keep hoping Victor will reach my area, but no one seems interested in carrying it so far.

[LabsRawesome]

Hey Dori, let me know how the Epicore goes. It’s supposed to really rev up the immune system. If you are ordering the animal formula, it might have a different name IDK. That would be awesome, if they start to carry Victor. It’s a really good budget friendly 5 star food. 😀

[Bobby dog]

Tindaisy:
I think I already mentioned this, but in case I didn’t all the 4Health canned dog and cat food is manufactured by Simmons. I have fed all recipes of the dog and cat food and like them all. The cat food is pate’ style. The salmon and lamb canned for dogs is pate’ style and the rest are stew styles.

Another budget friendly canned dog food is Wal-Marts Pure Balance. This is also part of Bobby’s main canned rotation. It is reviewed well on DFA also. The stew styles are 99 cents and the 95% meat are $1.25.

Both brands are manufactured by Simmons and all of these brands are complete balanced recipes.

[Bobby dog]

Tindaisy:
They sound like beautiful kitties and I really love the names too! I love it when they all get along. All of my dogs got along with cats and it’s always good for a laugh when they play with each other.

FYI – I feed 4Health products to my dog and cats and really like them; not to mention they are very budget friendly! 4Health is reviewed well on DFA. I would also like to let you know about who manufactures them so you can make an informed decision about the products if you choose to feed them. If you are aware of who manufactures 4Health products and their history, you can stop reading this post now. lol

Some of the grain free kibble dog foods and GF cat food are made by Ainsworth – GF turkey, GF beef dog foods, and the GF cat food. The other kibble recipes are manufactured by Diamond – GF whitefish, GF duck, GF pork, all grain inclusive dog foods, and the grain inclusive cat food. Diamond also manufactures Taste of the Wild kibbles. Many of their products are sold at TSC and other places as well.

Diamond has a history of repeated recalls and I believe they just came to an agreement in settling one case against them. Any food can have recalls, kibble, canned, or raw, and you can only hope they take care of the issue responsibly, Diamond in my opinion did not. You can read more about Diamond recalls on the review side under the recall tab and various other websites. I personally have not knowingly bought a Diamond product since around 2007. I was not aware of pet food companies outsourcing the manufacturing of their foods until I came to DFA. So I have fed products manufactured by them, but I now keep track of who co-packs the food I feed.

I think the east coast factory is the one that was involved in the recalls. If I lived on the west coast I would consider and probably would feed Diamond products. They have several factories on the west coast and I don’t think they have been involved in any recalls.

I won’t completely rule them out for the future. They really look like good recipes to me and have a great price point, but I live in a region that more than likely would be supplied by the east coast factory. Hopefully they have addressed their issues and will be producing quality pet food in the years to come. So for now my choice is not to feed any products manufactured by Diamond.

[Bobby dog]

Aimee:
I had an old boyfriend who would do nothing but complain after I ate at my favorite restaurant. I love garlic and could not help but ask the chef to add extra to my food. He could not stand the garlic odor emanating from me and it would be an issue for at least two days after my meal. I came to realize I would rather be with the garlic than him in the end.

Losul:
I am also leery of trying high end brands with a long list of ingredients. I currently have a tight budget to follow with pet food. When I first changed Bobby’s diet I really wanted to be able to spend $80-$100 on a bag of food and $2 or $3 on canned but I just didn’t have the funds. After almost a year of researching kibbles, reading customer reviews, and reading the many common complaints customers have with high-end brands I am now content with my budget. I eventually want to make homemade meals for Bobby I just don’t have the time to research the subject in order to do it properly. Right now I am doing the next best thing IMO by adding fresh foods using the ABC diet as a guide; I am very happy with the $2.95 I spent for downloading this guide.

Naturella:
Thanks for the invite! I love a good garlicy meal. I feed garlic 3x/wk every other day or two; sometimes garlic pills when I don’t have fresh. I have been looking for all of my bookmarked pages in regards to what I researched on fresh garlic and I don’t know what file I hid them in. I did find the article to the link that Cyndi posted for you, but no additional information. There are some other links I posted in the beginning of this thread to some more info if you are interested. I also remember reading HDM and BCn’s recommendations on feeding fresh garlic on one of these threads or forum posts. Losul posted a good deal of info for you and you could always track down HDM or BCn for info from others feeding garlic. I believe BCn is absent from the forum due to family obligations so I am not sure how much spare time she has these days to catch up with DFA, but I have seen some posts from her recently. If you are worried about possible sensitivities just don’t do it. Use your best judgement as you always do for taking care of your pup!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tindaisy:
I love some classic Tom and Jerry! Those must be pretty persuasive cats to turn you into a cat lover and wishing for more strays. I’ll say it again, lucky kitties. You and C4c have something in common, the love of cats by a few strays stopping by your homes.

If you have a Tractor Supply Store local their brand 4Health is a very budget friendly food with decent ingredients; 46 cents/5.5 oz or 99 cents/13.2 oz, co-packed by Simmons. Only one of my cats will eat 4Health, wish they all would, what are you going to do. I have ordered from Chewy.com a few times, excellent prices and service. Many posters on DFA recommend them as well. Here are some other sites to check out; sign up for e-mail/newsletters from these sites so you can receive info on sales and free shipping offers:
http://www.amazon.com/pet-supplies-dog-cat-food-bed-toy/b?ie=UTF8&node=2619533011
http://www.petco.com/
http://www.petflow.com/
http://www.petfooddirect.com/
http://www.petsmart.com/
http://www.wag.com/

I have my Vet to thank for the journey to learn more about pet nutrition. About a year ago she sent out her monthly newsletter discussing common health issues that could have been avoided by proper nutrition and feeding species appropriate foods. She invited anyone who was interested to stop by for a list of pet food she compiled for cats and dogs. I thought to myself what I was feeding had to be fine since they were name brands that are advertised often, but I’ll stop by and see what she has to say. After I read the information she compiled I was off to the races to research more about pet nutrition. I talked further about nutrition with my Vet, read some books, magazine articles, and visited many sites. The criteria I follow regarding pet nutrition constantly changes and grows the more I learn. I like catinfo.org and DFA because of the simplicity they use to present information to their readers.

Catinfo.org is probably the most popular cat site for the regulars on this thread, but there are several others that are very helpful with current information on feline nutrition and care as well. Here’s another site: http://www.littlebigcat.com/
Both of these sites are run by Vets and I am sure others will chime in with their favorite websites as well. Here’s some links to check out regarding cat nutrition:
http://www.littlebigcat.com/nutrition/why-dry-food-is-bad-for-cats-and-dogs/

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

Feeding Your Cat: Know the Basics of Feline Nutrition

On this thread we all share are trials and tribulations about getting our cats to transition to quality foods and other stuff too. Most of mine will eat a premium brand canned food a few times a week and I have a couple that will eat some commercial raw once a week, but most of mine are addicted to kitty crack. Most of my cats are 15+ and I am not going to push a drastic diet change on them at their age. They are now eating mostly canned food with a little GF kibble on the side. I can always hope for more, but I am happy to have transitioned them this far with no issues.

Fish is a concern for all of us farmed or wild caught. Although the quality of fish that is included in pet food might be questionable the same could be said about the quality of meat. So I focus on minimizing exposure to fish and try my best to get quality food in them when they will eat it. My cats’ revolt if they do not get fish a few times a week so I mix in sardines packed in water with their canned food. Sardines typically do not have as much mercury or contaminates that other fish may have. If it were up to me I would not feed fish at all.
From Dr. Pierson:
“I do not feed fish to cats for the following reasons:
• high allergy potential (manifested as skin allergies or inflammatory bowel disease, and possibly asthma)
• toxin/mercury contamination
• PBDEs (fire retardant chemicals) – PBDEs are potent thyroid disruptors
• often high in phosphorus and magnesium
• highly addictive – the cat will not eat anything else”

Thanks for sharing tips on transitioning food. The crazy thing is I thought I would have the most problem with changing their kibble. They always ate canned food with no problem so I thought that would be the easiest. The opposite occurred with mine. I rotate between several kibbles with no transition. It was the Friskies they were addicted to. lol I can’t tell you the money I have spent on quality food only to have them sniff and walk away. I have one cat that pretty much will eat anything and if all else fails Bobby dog is more than willing to clean the cats’ plates. All is good though, they are happy and healthy fur babies.

Akari started this thread and another one about coupons and sales we all share with each other if you are interested. Here’s a link to the coupon thread:
/forums/topic/coupons/page/11/

Stop back and let us know how your guys are doing!

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tracy:
All of the food recommendations you have received are excellent choices, raw and kibble! Hopefully you can find one that works.

I just have one suggestion for you. I understand budget requirements and even though NV raw might not be in your budget right now as a main diet I would like to suggest maybe try feeding it on a rotational basis. I feed my dog kibble with canned, lightly cooked fresh meat, or commercial dehydrated/freeze dried/frozen raw food for each meal. Most of the time the raw he gets is used as a topper in place of canned food rather than an entire meal of raw (budget issues, lol). I try to feed raw weekly; sometimes more often sometimes not. Regardless of how often I feed raw, he does love it and I believe the variety is good for him.

Check out NV’s website. If you sign up for news letters they send out monthly coupons for their products. Most of the time it’s for their frozen raw. I buy small bags and feed it to both my dog and cats. Check out Darwins too as InkedMarie suggested. I have not fed that brand, but it is recommended by many posters on DFA.

[Barbara O]

If you’ll read, I believe they have a digestive enzyme…I feed twice a day also…but I either add in the AM or the PM….He gets his salmon oil in the mornings…I usually give him his glucosamine in the evening…I was giving him Costco pills but he would spit them out so I ordered the dog liquid from Vita Cost…then I discovered I could put the two pills in a jigger of water and they would be completely dissolved by the time I fed…

I rotate my brands….but I always feed grain free to all my animals…including my cats…I have a Maine coon cat and a Savannah…which is a cross between an African cat and a domestic cat…They also get canned food and some Primal..I don’t feed Primal to Roger all the time…because he gets raw bones…If he didn’t get these, he would get some Primal every day…remember, his cousin, the wolf, eats raw meat every day…I’m at work right now but I’ll look at the digestive enzyme I have at home…Toby, my genet, had a case of pancreatitis at Christmas, and I started him on the enzymes after he recovered…I’ll get the name…

I feed the canned Costco no grain dog food mixed in with the kibble, also. It gets a 5…Natural Instinct is wonderful…I fed the grain free by Merrick…can’t think of the name, and he really liked it. I’m feeding a grain free now and I won’t buy it again, but I bought it in a pinch…maybe called Natural Balance…really having to boost it with meat. Tomorrow I will pick up a bag of Costco Grain free salmon….To this I add an egg at each feeding…the perfect protein for both man and beast….I haven’t fed this…my vet said to be careful feeding chicken…you will need to add fat to it…So if I buy Costco, I’ll just buy the salmon or beef grain free and add more protein…since it is a plant based feed…The vet said it is a good feed, though…better than most and very budget friendly…of course, I spend the difference on the things I add…I like Taste of the Wild….it is a 4 and is plant based, though many of the vets here love it…and Danes need to keep watch on the protein due to their size and joints…they grow awfully fast, and Roger is about a year old. He has never had a problem with me just switching brands..no stomach upsets, etc…Just use common sense and ask yourself, would I want someone to switch my diet around all the time? I’ve been taking in orphan animals, raising wildlife, doing wildlife rehab work since I was about 16 or 17, and that’s a long, long time. If I ever learn how to post pictures on this site, will send some before and after pics of the Danes I’ve rescued…and will send a pic of the fennecs and our little Tasmanian monster, Toby the genet.

[Bobby dog]

Hi Tindaisy:
Zach’s has a Facebook page and here’s is a link to their website with a find store option:
http://zqdfrjscompany.azurewebsites.net/#myCarousel

Also check out Victor’s website, find a dealer tab, if you can buy it locally it is very budget friendly also:
http://www.midamericapetfood.com/

[Bobby dog]

Tindaisy:
They sound like lucky stray kitties to get food like Nutrisource and TOTW (even if they didn’t like it). On behalf of this cat lover (well all pets, stray or not) thanks for taking care of them! 🙂

C4c:
I feed Purina Pro Plan Finesse Chicken & Liver Entrée Classic because it does not have fish or added colors in its recipe. The carbs are about 4%. All of my cats eat this recipe. I tried the Savor Beef & Carrots before because my pet store didn’t have my usual flavor and my cats picked through it, but ate it. They really don’t like chunks of vegetables in their food.

Here is a list of the flavors I would feed (including the recipe I currently feed of the Finesse line) and some of the undesirable ingredients they contain to help you choose:
~Finesse – K3, artificial flavors, meat by-products:
Chic & Liver Entree Classic
~Savor – K3, artificial flavors, meat by-products, fish:
Beef & Carrots Entrée Classic
Chic & Spinach Entrée Classic
Turkey & Veg Entrée Classic
Salmon & Wild Rice Entrée Classic
~Focus – K3, artificial flavor, meat by-products, fish, added color:
Chic & Beef Entrée Classic
Kitten Chic & Liver Entrée Classic

As Tindaisy mentioned, Nutrisource has canned food and my pet store just started carrying it. I am going to try some out. Also, if you need to add something else into the rotation the Purina Beyond GF chicken canned food was a hit with all my cats. Not particularly budget friendly, $1/3 oz can at Wal-Mart, but they liked it and the recipe is not bad.

[Holly C]

I guess I phrased that odd. By “fish flavoured” I meant one that tastes more like fish, like Salmon, Krill, Cod oil, etc. I also take the fish oil I give my dog, and I have to say, it doesn’t taste very pleasant, and he doesn’t like it much either. I used to give Salmon Oil but with some budgeting I just buy 1000mg capsules of fish oil. I’ll have to try sardines sometime- my dog would love that!

I also give 600 iu of vitamin e, and a joint supplement. My dog has joint and hip issues, and he has a completely torn ACL. He’s due for surgery soon >:

[Heather D]

Hello members. Thank heavens I have found this site though have done nothing this morning with regard housework as just been reading.
We have a Spanish Mastiff crossed with a German Shepherd, rescued from a filthy pen some 4 weeks ago when he was just 6 weeks old. Riddled with parasites internal and external. Has been to the vet’s three times now but doing very well.
previously we had a couple of English Pointers so I was aware of the growth/calcium issue and they were reared to be 14 years. Dusty the bitch, spayed, died with skin cancer. We live in Spain and she was mostly white and was a momkey for lying in the sun with her legs splayed and stomach bared to the sun, she contracted skin cancer and sadly had to be put to sleep aged 14.
Bracken her pal, though not from the same litter, died just 6 weeks after Dusty with a heart attack.
They were reared for their first 18 months on Hills prescription for large breeds and did really well with it.
Now to our new little, well quite big puppy.
He couldn’t tolerate Hills so the vet advised Eukanuba food for large breed puppies and I give him two small additional feeds of cooked turkey each day to add to his protein as the dry food is 26% and wanted to increase it. He is tolerating it well, but I want him to have the best I can afford, and buy. We are pensioners and though not destitute we have to budget.
Spain is not known for it’s care of dogs, and sadly, living in the heart of Andalucia away from the Costas most dogs are raised on dry bread, yes dry bread and anything else they can find. These are the conditions our puppy Max was born into. Locked in a large fenced and gated pen, the owner coming only once per week to bring a sack of dry bread rolls and fill their water bowls. So we have adopted the family and go each night to feed and water through the fence.
The parents and the 2 other pups are doing well, and the owner as a thankyou gave us Max.
There are just 2 pet stores within a couple of hours drive that do sell some varied brands.
We want the very best for Max and from your lists I just don’t know if I am going to find any of the foods you mention.
My question is, sorry after this ramble, if I cannot find any you mention will Max be ok continuing on his Eukanuba for large breed puppies along with his cooked turkey, and are there any other things I can give him to supplement if he has to stay on this diet?

[Akari_32]

Hey guys. Just updating. No baths in a few weeks, but his hair is growing back really well (new growth is about an inch long), and his skin is no longer red all over. Still red at his paws and up his hind legs some, and around his nose, but his body is back to pinkish-white, and he is chewing and scratching much less (and doesn’t smell nasty all the time). I’ve been giving him 3/4 of a can of By Nature 95% one day, and the next day he gets the rest of the can, and 1/4 cup of THK, mixed with however much water it needs to thin it back out to the consistency of just canned food.

He does need a bath right now (some one *cough* mom *cough* cleaned up pee in the hallway around his cage and then thought it was a good idea to put the pee towel in the cage because she didn’t want to walk it to the laundry room…), and I’ll use his medicated shampoo, and then wash him with his new shampoo and conditioner (supposed to be really good for their skin and coat, and has keratin in it– I’ll get the name of it in a bit).

I’m looking at some other foods to add in to his diet. I’ve emailed several companies and asked for the as fed carb values of their foods. My answers so far:

Purina Pro Plan:
“We appreciate your interest in our products. Please know that this information is not something we have readily available and takes time on the part of our nutritionist to determine. We cannot provide it for each and every one of our products.

However, if you can narrow your choice to a particular flavor or two, we’ll be happy to fulfill your request. Please understand it may take some time to process this information. We appreciate your patience.”

What the crap is that?? You don’t keep this info on hand?? Yeah, ok. Anyways, I went through the review side, and picked out all the four star formulas. More than they asked for, but whatever. My thought on the Pro Plan is that maybe an “average” food rather than a “fancy” food would do him some good. Some dogs don’t do well on high quality foods– we all know this. One of those if its ain’t broke sort of deals. Just an idea for a back up food. It’ll take some time to get an answer from them, I’ll assume.

Hill’s:
“Thank you for visiting HillsPet.com and sending us your message.

Due to your special pet’s medical condition we would suggest that you speak to your veterinarian for a food recommendation. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. offers a full line of therapeutic products which are formulated for the management of certain health issues that can develop in pets. The product that will work best for your pet depends upon his or her individual circumstances and is something that your veterinarian will have to help you to determine.

We appreciate your interest in Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc. If we can help in any other way, contact our Consumer Affairs Department toll-free at 1-800-445-5777 8AM-5PM CST, Monday-Friday or revisit HillsPet.com.

Sincerely,

Consumer Affairs
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, Inc.”

I was hoping to get some values on Ideal Balance. Another “average” food sort of idea. But looking at the values on the can today at the store (they have dry matter basis on the Hill’s website), I’m ditching this food. Way too low protein and just 4.5 and 5%. And toooooooons of carbs. Each can has a protein source, and then three or four carbs sources. No thanks!

Nutro:
” Dear Danielle,
>
> Thank you for taking the time to contact us. Our canned food for dogs average about 5% carbs. Canned food is low in carbs because they are primarily water or broth (around 78%). We do not make anything that will have lower values than 5%.

……

Hi Danielle-
None of our dry foods will have a carbohydrate level as low as 15%. They average 30-45%. Canned food, by nature, will have the lowest carbs, as they are primarily made of water/broth. The Ultra™ and the Natural Choice® Chunks & Gravy formulas have the lowest amounts (approx. 4%). Hope this information helps!”

All of the Nutro Natural Choice and Ultra cans are right in our price range, at $21 to $28 a 12 can case. The Large Breed recipes seem to be the best looking as far as how much to feed, and protein values. And if the carb values they gave are correct, they are right where I want to stay. Very nice looking line. I don’t tend to follow the whole dog’s size and age marketing thing, but he’s only 8 pounds. Would a large breed (puppy and adult food) be fine for him? He’s two years old, and should be about 8 pounds (he’s probably 7-ish).

And theres always EVO. Good price point, but high fat. Not a food I’d have him on all the time. Maybe I’ll use it to keep his weight up. I’m having trouble keeping his weight up with out him eating us out of house and home. I’m trying to do the best by him and by moms budget. $20 a case where he’s eating the whole can every meal is not helping the budget issue. The By Nature is great, but its not high calorie enough, and I don’t think high fat enough, either. He’s an active little guy, and needs something that can keep him beefed up.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts or input or anything, throw it out there!

[crazy4cats]

Hi Jake’s mom-
Thanks for the input. I will be stopping at Fred Meyer after work tomorrow. I’ll see if they carry it. I’ve not fed her something different from the others, but I think she needs something a little easier to eat. As she isn’t eating kibble any longer and I feed mostly budget canned. It’s too expensive to feed it to all of them. Wish me luck. I’ll give it a shot. Like you said, could be topper for the dogs if she won’t eat it. Wow! Sounds like you have a geriatric ward. Lol!

[DogFoodie]

I think your plan sounds like a good one. There would be no reason at all not to be able to use the ground turkey from Costco or the grocery store. I think when we keep things simple and the budget isn’t a stretch, we’re more likely to be successful in keeping up with it going forward.

Have you ever looked at the MPC site? You might find recreational and raw meaty treats you like for both pups and kitties. ; ) But, yes, I also agree that it would be much more costly.

[Bobby dog]

Okay, no problem. When you have time look at a few printers on-line and forward a link so I have an idea of what your looking for. We could have two different ideas of a “budget friendly printer” and I will check some out as well. lol

Yea, they track you on SD’s site and it doesn’t appear they reset them either. 🙁

[Patty C]

Thank you, Cyndi & crazy4cats. I’m glad to learn about the 20% rule; I can calculate the 20% of what each dog gets and add that. I measure what I feed them every day for two main reasons: first, concerning the budget so that I know how many days before I must buy more, and second, to help keep their weight under control.
For a while I will probably start a few more threads so that I can get advice in making the correct changes; I’ve been doing the same low-budget thing for years, feeding all my beasts what has turned out to be not-so-good food, and it is difficult for me to make these changes when all choices are not equal.
Thanks again for your answers here; I hope to hear from you in my other questions.

[Akari_32]

Alright guys, I need some opinions. Like an idiot, I went out and spent $40 on 200lb of Tidy Cats litter. That’s my entire monthly budget for pet food. And I did this WITHOUT looking to see how much cat food I had left. So now I’m down to 10 days of food, with an extra couple weeks worth of just Sheba stashed away, as well. So, 10 days of his normal rotation left. Wellness is not on sale, and my printer is down, so I can’t print out a bunch of $1 coupons and price match at Pet Supermarket. Friskies is on sale for 49 cents a can, which isn’t bad, but I don’t like all the additives in there. Then there’s Grreat Choice. On sale for 37 cents a can, no colors, no questionable urinary tract mumbo-jumbo.

The only thing I don’t particularly like is that it’s just under 3% carbs and has a little fish (on the description of the beef on at least. Some others may not). I’d like to see a bit lower, and no fish. But all I need to do is get enough to stretch out his current rotation long enough to get more Wellness, or find something else good to add in. I can get like 55 cans of Grreat Choice for $17. That’s almost two months of food right there! By-products aside, it’s a decent food.

Authority is on sale too, but I don’t know how I feel about the corn stuff they use. Same with Nutro Max Cat. I’ll me looking around at more sales. I may get some Friskies too, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll keep a looking around. Just wondering what you guys thought about my plan?

http://m.petsmart.com/h5/hub?id=cat%2Fcanned-food%2Fgrreat-choice-pate-adult-cat-food-zid36-12869%2Fcat-36-catid-200027%3Fvar_id%3D36-12869

[Liz W]

Hi Cindi… yes, you are correct… in VERY good hands!

Hi USA Dog Treats! Thanks again for the great advice.

Update:
Tried ordering the probiotic you recommended but shipping adds $10 to the cost so I’m going to print off the label and take it to my local health food shops and see if I can’t find similar for around $20, if I have no luck, I will then order from their on line site. Thanks for the recommendation.

As for the K9 Choice foods I will be receiving a print out of the nutritional values but from what I recall, they were all decent. I’m leaning to the ones that are a bit lower in fat. I found another raw source made here in Manitoba which may be a bit more in line with what I’m looking for and also a little less $… haven’t finished my trials on that yet.

I am worried that the Honest Kitchen combined with the Kibble was the tipping factor in him bloating. Can’t be sure but I don’t want to risk that again. I may have to wait until I get to the USA to find the Pre Mix (Steve Brown’s) that you referred to. I can’t find anything like that here in our Pet Stores in Manitoba. I will keep digging to see if I can find something similar. Traveling and trying to feed exclusively raw is going to be a major challenge both in terms of cost and finding it when I need it. Actually I’m finding feeding a 110lb dog raw exclusively is going to be a real challenge to the dog food budget… oh well. We may have to put off getting him a little buddy for a while anyway while we “recover” from all the expenses of this experience.

I haven’t been to the grocery store yet but sardines are on the top of the list to start adding for the boy. Haven’t returned to the capsules yet… adding back to “normal” very slowly.

I must say he is “crazy” about the green tripe!!! First thing he dives for in his bowl and since I’ve been feeding exclusively raw he is excited at every meal. Maybe he is just feeling a lot better but it is sure nice to see him snapping his jaws in excited anticipation of his meals! 🙂

Again,
Thanks for answering my plea for help… I was feeling very alone as a mommy of a GDV recovering dog and trying to feed raw. There is not a lot of info or advice out there under this subject.
Wishing you the very best from myself and Big Lou! 🙂